Holism and Reductionism Flashcards
Holism (non scientific)
Attempts to understand human behaviour can only be done through analysing the person or the behaviour as a whole
The focus is understanding behaviour by considering broader experiences and circumstances.
Multivariable approach
Reductionism (scientific)
Human behaviour is best understood by studying the smaller constituent parts
It is based on the scientific principle of parsimony, that all behaviour should be explained using the most basic (lowest levels) principles
2 types of reductionism
Biological
Environmental
Biological reductionism
Attempts to explain behaviour at the lowest biological level (in terms of the actions of genes, hormones e.t.c)
Environmental reductionism
Attempts to explain all behaviour in terms of stimulus response links that have been learned through experience
Levels of explanation from highest to lowest
- there are 6 levels
Social cultural
Psychological level
Physical level
Environmental/behavioural level
Physiological level
Neurochemical level
What does the levels of explanation imply
The higher the level, more variables are in play (holism)
Neurochemical is the most fundamental (necessary base/core) for how you interact as a human
Example of biological reductionism
Drugs that increase serotonin are used to treat OCD
Therefore low serotonin may be the cause of OCD
Reduced OCD to the level of neurotransmitter activity
Example of environment reductionism
Learning theory of attachment reduces idea of love (mother and baby) to a learning association between mother (NS) and food (UCS) -> pleasure (CR)
EVALUATION: Reductionism (biological) - criticism
Reductionism is criticised in a variety of ways
Some psychologists claim that because bio reductionism downplays the complexity of human behaviour, it might result in inaccuracies
e.g Mistaking the symptoms of a phenomenon for its actual cause when someone uses medication to treat illnesses like ADHD on the mistaken assumption that the condition is solely caused by neurochemical imbalances
Ritalin may help with these symptoms, but it hasn’t addressed the underlying issues that led to ADHD
Whether this is accurate or not depends on the interpretation of ‘causation’, however given how widely drug therapy success rates vary, a simply biological explanation does not seem sufficient and therefore explanations which consider multiple factors are more suitable
EVALUATION: Reductionism - strength
One strength of reductionism is its scientific status
In order to conduct well controlled research variables need to be operationalised - target behaviours are broken down into constituent parts
This makes it possible to carry out the experiment and capture observations in a way that is objective and reliable
This scientific approach gives psychology greater significance, placing it on equal terms with natural sciences
EVALUATION: Holism - strength
One strength of holistic approaches in research is that it addresses an entire group at once
For example, certain behaviours can only be understood in the context of a group; for example, the effects of social role conformity and the deindividuation of guards and prisoners in the Stanford prison experiment could not be understood by analysing the personal perspective as individuals; rather, what mattered was how individuals interacted with one another and the group as a whole
A strength because in comparison to reductionist approaches, holistic explanations offer a more thorough and comprehensive knowledge of behaviour, which may make it easier to generalise across broader communities and cultures
As a result, provides support for holistic methods within the research of psychology
EVALUATION: Holism - criticism
It may lack practical value
As human behaviour grows more complicated, holistic explanations become more difficult to apply, creating a practical dilemma for researchers.
It becomes challenging to determine which causes, like depression, have the greatest influence and which should receive treatment priority when there are numerous contributing components.
This implies that reductionist theories may be preferable to holistic ones because they may be less practical.
